


The Telepath with a Glass Heart

by Kitexa



Category: X-Men: First Class (2011) - Fandom
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fairy Tale, Depression, Drabble, Implied Mpreg, M/M, New Baby, Parents, Postpartum Depression, Storytelling, Symbolism, domestic AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-04-26
Updated: 2014-04-26
Packaged: 2018-01-20 21:40:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,368
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1526720
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kitexa/pseuds/Kitexa
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In an attempt to calm his crying newborn, Charles accidentally breaks his own heart.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Telepath with a Glass Heart

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired heavily by a roleplay scenario.

It wasn’t that Charles minded recuperation. On the contrary, it was a grand step up from the last nine months. What did bother him was the toll he’d suffered and how it seemed to drive away everyone he loved save for occasional bursts of interaction. He understood, he did, how uncomfortable it must be, how unsuitable for a child to see their father in such despair. However… such isolation only served to worsen his condition. He didn’t want to be alone, trapped in bed with nothing but a book or sleep for entertainment. The latter failed to interest him, of late. The former… he’d done too much of the former. And even when he did, the newest member of his family still woke him when Erik went out. Rare though they are, Erik can’t always come to his aide. Some days he needs to rest for himself.

Today, for example. Though Charles really has slept more than necessary these days (not entirely his fault as the last two months preceding birth interrupted attempts through pain and bathroom runs), he isn’t entirely pleased with a shrill cry cuts through his subconscious.

_'Erik'_ he calls, because it’s usually Erik’s job to feed them in the morning. Except of course it’s not morning, he realizes, opening his eyes. 1:30 reads the clock which means Erik has already fed the baby, and Charles simply lost his sense of time.

That, however, did little for the crying newborn. With a groan, Xavier sits up, lifting his baby girl from her cradle by the bed. “Hey.. hey, Olivia.” He soothes, bundling her in his arms. She sniffles, but looks up at him. Encouraged, Charles continues. “Don’t cry, daddy’s here, shh…”

He knows it won’t last. Children wake for a reason and he’s certain she’s grown hungry again. A problem easily rectified if, as previously stated, he weren’t stuck in bed. A faint bubble of panic rises in his chest: Erik isn’t here, not immediately, which means… which means he’ll have to stall til his return.

Right…

_How do I calm a crying infant?_ He used to know. _It’s been a year._

If he had the voice, he’d sing, lull her like he’s seen his husband do. As he can’t…

An idea strikes Charles then. One he’s not tried in sometime. Rocking his daughter carefully, the telepath begins a careful tale.

"Once upon a time, in a Kingdom far away, there lived a young Prince…"

——————-

_Prince Charles was born with a glass heart. His parents were concerned because a glass heart can only hold so much emotion or it will break. To protect him they kept him locked in a castle and kept their distance; too much love, they feared would shatter his heart. The young prince grew up alone, his only friend a changling girl who came to him in the form of a raven.  Every night through the window she’d fly, and gradually, the young prince bonded with her. Unbeknownst to Charles, his heart slowly began to fill, pushing against the edges of the glass as the years went by._

_Overtime, illness swept through the land, claiming both the king and queen. Charles, now a young man, did not succumb, as isolation kept him away from his subjects and illness. When his parents passed, the throne was his, and he asked his Raven to stay, permanently, by his side.  Delighted by this, she agreed, and when coronation came about, she was there to support him._

_But Charles was not equipped to rule the land. He did not know how to love beyond his friend, and it began to show shortly after. He recklessly sought out affection, attention, throwing lavish parties and occasionally venturing out. He began neglecting his Raven, who herself debated whether or not to stay for her king.  Gradually, the land fell to disarray, and people began to notice the king’s faults. He was a good man, they said, but was not responsible._

_When Charles reached his thirties, still single with a heart worn ‘round the edges, he met a man who would forever change his life. His relationship with Raven, now, had grown strained: She stayed because she worried, and because the castle still held better amenities than the world beyond._

_Erik Lehnsherr was reported to be a knight that had deflected, turned to the dark arts in favor of personal gain. He arrived at the castle gates, Charles’ army no match for his uncanny powers, tossing them aside as though parchment in the wind. He demanded an audience and Charles, hearing him, obliged. Erik revealed he had once been one of Charles’ subjects, whose parents (his father a blacksmith) died during the plague that claimed the former king and queen.  Parentless, without finances, he himself may have died had not a man come by his parents’ home, and taken pity on him.  Known only as Sebastian, he offered Erik a way to fix things: all he had to do was sign over his loyalty. Without an option, Erik did so and worked with Sebastian, mastering a magic that brought back to life his father’s passion. But Sebastian was not a kind man, but Erik had signed away all he had; he could not get away unless he killed him. And after several years, he surpassed his ‘mentor,’  murdering him and escaping._

_Erik of course did not tell Charles any of this. He only said he’d come back in search of his parents’ old home. He did not expect to find the land in ruin. He could not sit by while other suffered as he did under a man who could do such good if he tried. Charles then shift into Raven, shock and perhaps fright forcing him back. The real Charles speaks up then from the door, having witnessed much of the exchange. He calls Raven to his side and, intrigued by this man, allows him to stay the night._

_This proved a fatal error. For intrigue was but a go-to for what Charles did not understand. He’d been smitten by this man, his passion, anger and drive._

_Charles was a stubborn king, as was Erik, too. He would not leave until the king made headway towards progression. Charles, who did not want him to leave but who also wished he would, used to putting himself first, doing things his way, fought with Erik daily._

_One night, they went too far._

_After that, Charles couldn’t leave Erik if he wanted to._

_Meanwhile, his Raven had grown weary of ‘second place.’ One night, she flew away. The king would not hear from her again for nearly a year._

_During that year, Charles’ heart began to crack. Eventually, he fell gravely ill._

_Charles had not told Erik of his condition. Very few, in fact, knew of it anymore, which he tried to use in his defense. Erik would have none of it, his own fears prompting a rage unlike any Charles had seen. They had grown to love by then. The kind of love he’d always craved but never realized until the first time Erik kissed him. But love means many things: it can be beautiful, but also deadly. They worked together, lived together and tried so hard to fix his fallen land. When Raven left, his heart began to break._

_Now, it lay in pieces._

_“I’m scared for you.” Confesses Erik one night, holding the king’s freckled hand. Charles looks up with a fragile smile. It doesn’t reach his eyes._

_“My love,” he croaks, tears spilling down his cheeks. “Whatever happens, know that I love you. I will always love you.”_

_Erik, too, begins to cry, and he kisses Charles, firmly, deeply._

_It’s the very last exchange they’ll ever share._

_——————_

A sharp breath breaks away the story, forcing his eyes back down. To his relief, little Olivia’s fallen asleep. Good. She doesn’t need to see her daddy cry.

Holding her still, now against his chest, Charles eases back into his pillows. _'I won't end that way,'_ He promises, kissing the baby’s head.  _’_ He lets his own eyes close, then, solace spreading through him when he hears the door, downstairs.

_I’ll do all I can to remain by your side.’_


End file.
